SSH remote to Ubuntu Server

[NJC]

Any suggestions to login to my Ubuntu server remotely? I understand I'd need to port forward through router and I think VNC could be used in a Win environment ... and of course the permissions would be tightened up again.

I have done some research but there seems to be 352 different answers.

 

[simple_gifts]

No, there is only one answer; openssh. It is the defacto standard for secure administration. Putty is the Windows SSH client and WinSCP is the file transfer utility built on SSH

VNC? Not necessary. ssh will allow you to tunnel graphic apps through it.

 

[NJC]

Thank-you. I want to make my server accessible to a remote family member - should they have openssh or putty installed.

EDIT: I'm going to assume both in their Win environment.

 

[uc50ic4more]

SSH is NOT going to give you a graphical environment; only a command line. Using

Code:
ssh -X username@address


... will forward the X graphical environment, but Windows users won't be able to make heads or tails out of that.

What is it you're trying to accomplish -- Do you want one party to be able to control the *screen* of the Ubuntu server? If so, a VNC server (already installed, accessible by enabling Remote Desktop) is the ticket. If you want system administration and file transfer, SSH is the way to go, which you can so by...

Code:
sudo aptitude install ssh


That will install all the necessary applications to enable SSH access to the machine over port 22. VNC uses port 5900 as I recall.

The "client" systems, if they're running Windows, can use most freely available FTP programs for file access. Most FTP programs also support SFTP, which is basically FTP through a secure SSH tunnel. Filezilla might be your best bet, there. FTP programs will not mount the Ubuntu server as a filesystem, though; meaning that media players and such will not be able to access the files unless and until you transfer them to the client machine.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

VNC? Not necessary. ssh will allow you to tunnel graphic apps through it.


ah yes, I forgot that going to a Win client you will need an X-server such as Hummingbird Exceed. There are some OSS X-servers for Windows, none of which I have tried since I don't use Windows except @ work.

As a point of nitpicking SFTP isn't FTP thru an SSH tunnel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTP_over_SSH#FTP_over_SSH_.28not_SFTP.29

But we know what you meant... 8)

 

[Not the Autorx Frank]

I just open and set an obscure port number for ssh. I use a mac mainly so Terminal can hop right in. On a windows box I run a VM of Linux so I can hop in from there without any additional apps on windows.

 

[javacontour]

I was going to add that there were many X-servers for Windows. X-client is NOT the right term. The application that wants to display a window is the client, and the server runs on the PC in this example, as the display is the service that is offered. Therefore, the host where the display will appear is the server and any application that will display there is an X-client.

Just a pet peeve of mine.

So run one of the X-servers on the PC and most of them have the choice to connect to the remote host via SSH and establish and offer a display service through the SSH tunnel.

 

[uc50ic4more]

NJC - Does anyone need *graphical* access to the server? If they just need access to the files, you need not worry about VNC (why does an Ubuntu Server install even have a GUI to forward, anyhow?) or forwarding an X session; you just need a SFTP program like Filezilla.

 

[simple_gifts]

Graphical access to the server does not necessitate running a graphics desktop on the server.

All my machines @ work are headless (no monitor/keyboard or desktop environment software running) and we do graphical application installs all the time using Puttly/Exceed combo.

 

[NJC]

Originally Posted By: uc50ic4more
NJC - Does anyone need *graphical* access to the server? If they just need access to the files, you need not worry about VNC (why does an Ubuntu Server install even have a GUI to forward, anyhow?) or forwarding an X session; you just need a SFTP program like Filezilla.

uc50, no one would need graphical access. I thought it would be both interesting and useful to create a ssh remote login to transfer files to a family member. I had him download openssh and putty, but I'll likely have to go over to setup. Not because of inability, but it will be way down the project list.

I found a script to reveal public IP. Now I need to config the router, lots to learn ... good stuff for the incoming rainy Vancouver weather.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: NJC
Originally Posted By: uc50ic4more
NJC - Does anyone need *graphical* access to the server? If they just need access to the files, you need not worry about VNC (why does an Ubuntu Server install even have a GUI to forward, anyhow?) or forwarding an X session; you just need a SFTP program like Filezilla.

uc50, no one would need graphical access. I thought it would be both interesting and useful to create a ssh remote login to transfer files to a family member. I had him download openssh and putty, but I'll likely have to go over to setup. Not because of inability, but it will be way down the project list.

I found a script to reveal public IP. Now I need to config the router, lots to learn ... good stuff for the incoming rainy Vancouver weather.


I would *definitely*, and I mean *definitely* use Filezilla over Putty or anything like that; especially if the user of the client machine is not a nerd. Filezilla will allow all the file access the user would want, and it's as easy as a file manager to use. It is need not be installed - You can unzip the downloaded package and simply run the executable from wherever. This is handy for non-admins who cannot install software, and for those wishing to carry Filezilla around on a thumb drive.

Regarding the router, just forward port 22 to the server machine. Try to make sure the server machine gets a static, or at least a consistent IP from the router.

I would also very highly suggest getting an account at dyndns.com or no-ip.com. These sites keep track of your router's IP (as assigned by the ISP) as it changes from time to time (my cable account changes IP only once or twice per year, but many DSL users I know get a different IP each and every time they reboot!) so the client machine's user need not continually have to get the server's (router's) IP. You install a tiny script or program on the server machine (heck, most routers sport the ability to talk to sites like dyndns.com and update their IP) to keep dyndns's records up to date, and they provide you with your own URL; something to the effect of yourname.dyndns.org, for example. Then you simply set up Filezilla to access yourname.dyndns.org. DynDNS forwards that to your router, which forwards the port 22 traffic to the server machine.

 

[rrnwexec]

NJC, I wanted to let you know that there's an active Ubuntu Vancouver LoCo. If you haven't checked us out yet, please do. Part of what we do is offer support to the local community. It's highly likely that someone in our group can help you out. Our sign-up, mailing list and and meeting schedules are here: http://meetup.com/ubuntuvancouver

Cheers,
Randall
Ubuntu Vancouver Buzz Generator

 

[NJC]

Thanks again guys, tonight was the first external login to the Mighty Dell server.

And Filezilla is slick ... he was able to easily copy a few files from his directory in his home account. Better than using yousendit.

 

[ATS-V]

You can also use "sFTP Drive" to connect from a Window machine via SSH to another. Once you connect you use mapped drives via the file system.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: 97 GTP
You can also use "sFTP Drive" to connect from a Window machine via SSH to another. Once you connect you use mapped drives via the file system.


I Googled "sFTP Drive", and it appears to be now called ExpanDrive - http://expandrive.com, whose web site is not loading as of this writing.

I have used MacFUSE and other user space filesystems to use mounted network shares as filesystem mount points, with only limited success. sFTP Drive ExpanDrive, according to their Wikipedia entry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExpanDrive - uses MacFUSE for the Mac version and a custom FUSE implementation for the Windows version.

If this works better than my unceremonious hacking in user-space filesystems, then this is a very, very valuable piece of stuff! As soon as their web site wakes up I'm going to take a kick at the can and see what happens.

 

[NJC]

And here's the Mighty Dell "server"

which I added a 2nd Western Digital 80GB drive. Note what is written on CD drive, apropos for a Dell GX110.

Here's the Server room, underneath the stairs to crawlspace.